Drop for electric lamps



' 2 sheetssheet 1.

No Mdem" A 1 I W. E. DOW. l

DROP FR ELETRIG LAMPS.

No. 451,999. PatntedV May 12,1891. f

(No Model.) .2 'sheqtsgsneet 2.

Wj.v E. Dow. DROP POR ELECTRIC I1\I0.451,996. Patented Maylzl', 1891.'

UNITE .Titres WILTJARIT) E. DOW, OF BRAINIREE,MASSAC!USE'ITS.

DROP Fora ELECTRIC LAMPS.

srEcIFIcATIoN forming part of Letters Patentino. 451,996, dated May 1,2, 189,1.

I Application Bled March 22, 1890.

.T0 all whom it iitay'concerm Beit known that I, WILLARD EVDOW, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of `vious from the description given, it is. applicable to niany other useful purposes.

This improved drepis composed of a hollow roller closed at its opposite ends,an axial spindle that extends loosely thronghand provjects frcin'the oppcsiteends .of the roller, a

ratchet on one end of the spindle, supports, one foreach projected end of the spindle, and both supports and projected spindle ends relatively constructed for engagement with and disengagement from each other and in engagement to hold the spindle against turning while the roller is free to turn on the spindle, alspiral spring within and surrounding the axial spindle of the roller Aand at its opposite ends attached tothe spindle and the roller, respectively, and agravity er other suitable pawl pivcted and in pesitionon Aone end of the roller to be engaged with 'and by centrifugal force resulting fromv the rotation of the roller held ont of engagement with said ratchet of the spindle in' cenibination witha cord or cords, or snch' like, suitably held on the roller interinediately ci' 'its llength and otherwise so as tc present two end portions to be wound on, thejcne toward one end and the other toward the other end of the roller, and wound te present end portions, one extending froni one side and the other extending from the otherside et the roller, but in opposite directions, and otherwise allfor operation together sub"stantially as hereinafter described. Y

The invention lurthcr consists in the combination, with the above, of a carrier or holder for and suitable to join both of said opposite end supports of the roller-spindle. This holder preferably is adapted to inclosc the said roller and all its said attachments, and

of Fig. 2. or shell dilercntfrom that of Figs. 'l and i."

4it is so made that each of its opposite sides Serial No. 344,988. (No model.)

has a guide-eye for the passage of t the: end

portions of the cord wound on therolle substantiallyv as hereinafter described.

`Further than the above this invention cousists in other features, all. as will hereinafter fully appear.

In the drawings forming part of this specilication the drop of this invention is illustrated, and Figure l isa side view of the drop and of an incandescent electric light depending from it. Fig. 2 is a central vertical and longitudinal section of the roller and its end snpports and guide-eyes at opposite sides ofthe rol-ler and the twoAcord-sections and showing in Asection a spherical shell incasing the roller and having therollerfsupport-s and guideeyes attached to it.' Figs. and a are vcrti* cal sections on lines 3 3 and 4 4, respectively, Fig. 5 1s a plan view of a casing Aand hereinafter explained. Fig. 6 is adetail in plan to illustrate a manner of attaching the cord to the roller. In the drawings, B is the roller.I lhc roller is hollow .and closed at both ends-and the block D, closing oneend, is attached by screws or otherwise so as to hev inserted and removed at pleasure.

- C is an axial spindle oi the roller l, extending loosely through and yprojected from the opposite closed ends of the roller, Each pro'- ject-ed end C2 Cfof the spindle is'iiattened on its opposite sides, and it is set into and on is f gag-ed with slotted supportsor ear-pieces E E located at opposite sides of and rigidly hohl on a spherical shell or ease A, ineasing tlm roller. s

b is aspiral spring Within the roller 13 and surrounding thev spindle C. This spring b at one end is attached to the lspindle C, and at roller. v

. The shell Ais in two halves orlsectione 'the other end to vthe head-block D of the Y when placed upon cach other their'overlmr ping portions A2 are fastened together hy screws (not shown) or otherwise detachably.

The end supports E E for the roller B 'ne showinare both held on one and the same shell-section, and the other shell-secticn han xed on its opposite sides lugs F in position., with the sections placed together telic aerea# of -the loop Il and winding itvas so doubled the open'ends of the spindlesnpports ll l1) and so insure the retention of the spindle against accidental escape from its end supports.l The spindle Q at one end has a ratchet d. d, shown,-Fig. 3, as notches on opposite sides of the spindle. G is a gravitypawl at one end pivoted on the end D of the rollerand at its toe end g in position to engage the ratchet (l cl and engaged therewith to hold, the roller against turning and disengaged to allowthe roller te be turned.

II is a 'loop or eye midway of the length and xed on and projected from one side of the roller B, and itis at right angles to the axis of the roller.

J J2 is a cord which midway or thereabout substance the `cord is divided .into tw'o workling sections, one J passing upward and the 'other J 2 passing downward'froni the roller,

and for each section-there is a guide-eye a, both of which are held on the shell A, one at its upper and the other at its lower side.

A mode of bringinga continuous cord held on the rollez` into ,two working sections, as ex-v plained, is shown in Fig. 6; anditconsists in bendingor doubling the cord about' one end oneor more times around the. roller and then leading one section upward and the other downward from'and at opposite sides of the roller. f

A roller 13 and axial spindle (J fors'aid roller,

which is loose thereon, and the guide-eyes a of the shell are severally constructed and arranged together, and in combination with'a cord J J2, that is held on the roller interine diate of its'length.' present upper and lower working sections, all substantially as has been described, constitute the drop of this invention, and the. drop is used practically" by attaching'the upper or Working section of the cordto any suitable support-for example, the ceiling Mot' a room-and then bymanipulating the lower section J 2 of the cord-aa for instance, in substance .the same as curtains are manipulated-using the well-known' liartshorn curtain-fixture, the drop is raised or lowered in position, and by engagement of pawl of roller B with ratchet of fixed spindle C it is held against accidental movement from whatever position placed. In the rise of thev drop both working sections of the cord J J2 wind upon, and in the lowering of the Adrop both sections of the cord unwind from, the roller li, and in both cases the roller turns and its axial spindle is stationary.

The drop described and as shown has an incandescent electric light N suspended from the lower working section J2 ofthe cord J J2, andwhen the drop is so used-obviously the cor'dshculd then he suitably adapted, and, as

well known, to act as an insulated conductor of the electric current to the light.

The shell or case A, as is obvious, serves the purposes of a carrier or holder for the end supports `E E of the roller-spindle, for

the upper and lower guide-eyes a a of the cord J J2, and ot a guard or protector of the roller, the end supports for its stationary spindle and the portions of the cord wenn( on the roller.

Fig. 5 illustrates a modified form of the casing forl the roller, the.; and it consists of VYan annular frame having the roller, its axial spindle and the supports therefor severally contained within and held thereon, the same as described for the shell of the other figures. In the' drop of this invention as the roller B rotates on an axial spindle C fixed at its opposite ends against rotation, steadiness-ot rotation of the roller and of the upward and downward movement of the drop are insured, and again the constructionot the drop is not only thereby made most simple but most convenient and ready. This combinationv of roller and axial vspindle is a distinctive feature in lthe combination of parts making up the drop of this invention. l

Jllhe shell in two parts d etachably connectedgand, as has been explained, together relatively carrying the supports E'for the axial spindle C ofy thefroller, and means, su ch as lugs F, to holdpthe spindle against accidental escape fromits supports, asa whole is quite important, as on the detachment ofthe parts of the shell the roller and spindle are thereby freedr for removal, or without their removal suitably exposed for adjustment of the cord y and of the other parts should the cord and they from any cause have become disarranged, en-

tangled, or otherwise placed out of operative condition.. Again,the loop ll, projected from Athe rollerfor the cord JJ'e is important not vonly as a holder for the cord, but also as a guide for the winding and separation of the cord `into its two lengths, all as has been cx plained.

loo

IYO

Having thus described my invention, what I dle, a spiral spring iuclcsed within the roller and having one end attached theretov and its' opposite end connected to the spindle, and a cord wound on the roller in the same direc.- tion and extending at opposite sides of said roller in opposite directions, substantially ns described.

2. VA drop for electrielightsand other pur` poses, consisting ofl a pair of supports, a non-- dle, an eye fixed to and `projecting laterally fromvthe periphery of the roller, and a cord doubled through said projecting eye to constitute twohranches which are-both wound upon the roller in. the same direction, and at opposite sides thereof extended in opposite directions, substantially as described. c

3. A dropfor electric lights,&c., composed Yof a hollow roller B, an axial spin'dleO, on

which said roller is free to turn and having projecting ends C2 C?, a ratchet d at one end C2 of spindleC, supports Ev for said spindle @nas o2 o3, and it and they re1anyeiy-aaapiee to be engaged and disengaged and engaged to secure the spindle against turning, a shell or 25 casing in twospart-s,oneholdingsaid supports and roller and spindle and adapted toclose said supports against the escape 4therefrom of the axial spindle C,'a spiral spring b, ineased in the roller B and at its opposite ends at- 3 tached thereto and to the spindle C, and a pawl to engage ratchet d, in combinatiniwith a cord or cords held and wound on the roller and stantially as described, for the purpose speci-4 fied. 1

In testimony whereof I have heieunto set my hand in the presence. of two subscribing witnesses.

. WILLARD El DOW. Witnesses: I

LoRENzo S. FAIRBANKS, FRANK G. WHITE.

esenting end portions at opposite sides A and 1n" opposite directions of the roller, sub- 35 

